Did you know?

2.5 billion people do not have somewhere safe, private or hygienic to go to the toilet.

One gram of faeces can contain 10 million viruses, one million bacteria, 1,000 parasite cysts and 100 parasite eggs.

The simple act of washing hands with soap and water after going to the toilet can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by over 40%.

Safe disposal of children's faeces leads to a reduction of nearly 40% in childhood diarrhoea.

So support World Toilet Day - and be grateful for your fully functioning flush!

And while on the subject of human waste...

The publication of the membership list of the British National Party would seem to have caused quite an outrage. Although part of me recognises that, yes, individual members rights to privacy have been in some way infringed, the far larger part of me is entirely unconcerned that the personal details of a bunch of fascists has been transmitted across the internet. I'm particularly unbothered by the idea that they might now be put at some sort of risk. Indeed I'm totally apathetic towards the notion that they are "innocent" victims who are members of a legitimate political party who might now be put at risk for their views. (Far-right followers have for years been publishing names, photos and contact details for people they disagree with on their "redwatch" site... I think I'm on it somewhere...Well, I'm a lesbian union activist who has been on demos -I think I'm almost guaranteed to be on their "shoot on site" list...)

However Nick Griffin dresses it up, the BNP is a racist, sexist, anti-semitic, homophobic party, built on fascist principles with fascist roots. BNP policies are divisive, exploitative and target people in areas that are often impoverished and that have seen dramatic changes due to the decline of traditional working class industries, using a mixture of sensationalism, sentiment, scare-mongering and scapegoating to appeal to a broad mass of people who feel disenfranchised and alienated from the society they live in and let down by parties that historically have supported them.

I don't imagine too many people will be that bothered by the publication of a list of names, addresses and occupations of members of the BNP. It disappeared from the internet fairly quickly (although I believe it can be found on wikileaks...) and not that many folks will give it a second thought. Even the BNP can't capitalise on any sympathies it might have garnered if it had been leaked by some "terrorist" - it is acknowledged that it originated from one of their own former sympathisers... who is bothered by the party's new more "tolerant" image...

(-Curiously enough, my boss has just handed me a copy of a BNP report about racism - and having read it, I feel insulted and enraged -and slightly grubby... But what a strange coincidence: the publication of a new BNP report and a major story in the press... Hmmm...)